A Touch of Destiny
by Pirate Hatter
Summary: When Beckett's cousin comes to visit, she discovers the prison records of Pintel and Ragetti. She feels a connection... is it Destiny? Chapter 14!
1. Prolouge

"A message from over seas, Lady Beckett," A nameless servant bowed quickly before handing the parcel to Lady Beckett. She nodded and dismissed him from the room.

_My dearest cousin,_

'Oh great… what does Becky want now?' She thought pessimistically

_Port Royal has been difficult, lately. We've had far too many raids from pirates and thieves. Otherwise, it hasn't been too bad. I just met with Governor Swann and he said something about organizing an ambush on a major pirate port: Tortuga. Whether or not this takes effect, it's a wonderful idea and a step in the right direction. It's about time…_

The letter continued on like this for far too long. Beckett briefly touched on the weather and conditions of Port Royal, Jamaica but went off onto a written rant of pirates.

Shannon was extremely bored. Then, an idea hit her. Hard.

"Ow!" She whimpered, rubbing the sore spot on her head. The servant apologized repeatedly for letting the tea pot slip from the tray. Shannon forgave him and went back to her thoughts.

'I should visit Becky this summer. Port Royal sounds lovely,' she thought.

"Mister Nair," Shannon called out, "Plan a voyage for me. I wish to visit my cousin Lord Beckett in Port Royal, Jamaica. See that everything is arranged by the end of the month,"

"But Miss, the end of the month is in two days-"

"Don't contradict me, woman!" She yelled. Mr. Nair's eyebrows shot straight up.

"I'm a man…"

"Only because you have a penis. Now leave!" Shannon dismissed him with a flick of the wrist. Mr. Nair left, very confused and slightly pissed off. "Eeeeeexcellent..." She hissed while twiddling her fingers in a pyramid style. Shannon then laughed at herself after a moment. "Becky is so lucky to have a cousin like me,"


	2. Chapter 1

"I'm bored," Shannon moaned. She was lying limp and useless on a red velvet coach in a large office. A man was standing in the corner, shuffling through legal documents. The room was poorly lit by the windows to the harbor.

"Tough. It wasn't my decision for you to stay with me, it was yours. It's not my responsibility to make sure that you are entertained," He snapped back at her. He didn't even lift his head from his desk. Shannon jumped off the couch and walked over to the large map that took up an entire wall.

"That's not what America looks like at all, Becky," Shannon pointed out in her smart alecky way. Beckett looked to the map.

"Yes, yes, Miss Shannon. We're all very aware of your vastly superior knowledge. Now, please leave me to my work," He said dismissively. Shannon pouted.

"But I'm so BOOOORED!" She groaned with frustration. Beckett was getting irritated.

"THEN WHY DID YOU WANT TO STAY WITH ME?!" He screamed as his face grew bright red. Shannon cowered on to the couch.

"I didn't think it would be so boring." She mumbled as she flicked dust from the velvet couch. She plopped back down on to the couch to see what fun she could coax from the ceiling. She settled for watching the fan blades spin idly. Beckett sighed.

"Fine, ok. My office is a boring, boring place. What did you expect?" He walked over to the slightly hypnotized and very bored girl.

"It seemed like a good idea at the time. Besides, you're a lord or something, right? You should be out, like, 'busting' people or something." She continued to watch the blades of the fan spin slowly in rhythm. Beckett rubbed his temples.

"Unfortunately, no, I should not be out 'busting' people. How do you propose I can entertain you, now?" He offered to her. Shannon looked at him as though he were a lunatic.

"Since when did you care?"

"Since you became so perfectly irritating that I could no longer stand it if I tried; now what do you want to do?"


	3. Chapter 2

**Pirate Hatter: Say it, Sparrow**

**Jack: I don't wanna.**

**Pirate Hatter: Just do it you lazy bum!**

**Jack: Fine… Pirate Hatter does not own any Pirates of the Caribbean related stuff**

**Pirate Hatter: Except for the action figures! But those can hardly be called PotC merchandise… meh.

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Shannon thought hard about this offer. She jumped from the coach and went to the balcony over looking the port. She leaned so far over the rail, it seemed as though she could fall at any moment. Beckett came out there to see what she was staring at so intently.

"What, prey tell, are you looking at?" Beckett asked as he leaned just as far (or farther) over the rail as Shannon had.

"Can you swim, Becky?" Shannon asked but remained in her position.

"Fairly well, I suppose. Why do you-"

_**Splash!!!**_

Beckett was pushed over the railing and into the water by Shannon, who was currently laughing her head off. Beckett coughed and sputtered on the cold, salty water.

"You're so easy, Becky!" Shannon called through her laughter. She laughed even harder when he finally made it on land and water was literally spraying out his ears. He walked up to his office, drenched, but finally made it inside to dry off. Shannon had already occupied herself by looking through jail records.

"Are all these people dead?" She wondered aloud as Beckett received a towel from a servant.

"Most of them, yes. Why do you ask?" He set his wig on the shelf to dry off and toweled the rest of his hair.

"Pirates, correct?" She looked at Beckett through the corner of her eye. Beckett went behind a changing screen. Clothes flew on to the top of it as he changed into dry ones.

"Yes, some of them. All have gotten what they deserve…"

"A short drop and a sudden stop," They said in perfect unison. Shannon continued to shuffle through the records. Beckett stuck his head out from the screen.

"And just how do you know that?" He pulled on his shirt as he walked out.

"I just heard it somewhere." Shannon replied with a shrug. Beckett checked his wig to see if it were fit to be worn. Not even close. He sighed and went over to his documents he was working on earlier. Shannon screamed.

"What?!" Beckett sputtered. Shannon raced over to him with a record she had acquired.

"These two! What of them?!" She waved the parchment so fast in front of Beckett's face that he couldn't make out any inscription of any particular person. He seized the paper and he eyes adjusted after a moment.

There were two very grimy pirates. One of which was fairly short and going bald with a scare above his left eye. He looked ready to kill. The other was the exact opposite: he was tall, extremely gangly, and seemed to be in a happy-go-lucky daze. He had a wooden eye occupying his right eye socket.

"Pintel and Ragetti? Oh yes they were part of Barbossa's crew." He continued to work. Shannon grabbed the collar of his shirt and thrust him upwards. She was kneeling on top of his desk at this point and Beckett was far from solid ground. He stared into eyes filled with pure and utter loathing.

"ARE THEY ALIVE, MAN?!?!?!" Shannon screamed this into Beckett's face. His eyes were wide with terror.

"Y-yes. They're still alive." He answered in the meekest and softest voice possible. Shannon finally relaxed. Actually, it was more like someone had shot her with a tranquilizer. She relaxed her grip and smiled dreamily. Beckett slipped from her loose grip and fell to the floor. He hit his head on his chair.

"Ow…"

"Becky, where, prey tell, would the jail be?" Shannon coated her voice with honey to help him answer quickly.

"At the fort, of course. Why…? Oh no! You are NOT setting those thrice-damned pirates free! No!" Beckett ceased rubbing his sore head and scolded her immensely. She regarded him with puppy dog eyes and a quivering lip. He looked upon this sorry display but kept a stiff upper lip, just as a Brit would. Shannon only increased her pitifulness.

"Servants!" Beckett called while keeping his stare upon Shannon, "See to it Miss Shannon does not leave without my company."

With that, Beckett's servants locked the office doors and Shannon ceased her puppy-eyed plead. She became immensely annoyed and assumed her position on the couch. She rested her head on the arm-rest and covered her face with her hands.

"I just…"

She sighed and rolled over. She wanted to help.


	4. Chapter 3

It was cold in that cell. So bloody cold. And now they could actually feel this consuming and overwhelming sensation. There was no escape.

Pintel sighed. He sat on the itchy and scratchy straw that filled this… this cage. That's what they really were: they weren't pirates in a jail, waiting for the noose; they were animals in a cage, in line for the slaughter house.

Pintel cried a single tear. He laid his head against the wall and stared out the single window in this prison. He saw the starry skies that he desperately wanted to sail under. He looked at his friend, Ragetti, who was currently in a light sleep on the straw. Pintel cried a little more.

He was just fine with facing the hang-man's noose. He had done so many horrible things… but Ragetti? Granted, they were both pirates and yes, they both killed, stole, and otherwise but Ragetti was always… oblivious? That sounded right. Ragetti barely knew what they were doing was wrong. Pintel sniffled and wiped away his tears. He couldn't handle it.

"Rags?" Pintel asked in a cracked voice and shook the one-eyed pirate awake.

"Pinters…?" Ragetti barely opened one eye but was conscious none the less. "Is it mornin', awready?" Ragetti rubbed his good eye to rid it of the fogging sleep.

Pintel didn't answer. He couldn't. His voice just stuck in his throat and he couldn't make a sound if he tried. He just grabbed the pirate and brought him in to a bear hug. Ragetti was wide awake now.

"Somethin' wrong, Pinters?" Ragetti asked, returning the hug. Pintel just shook his head and hugged tighter. Tears streamed down his face and in to Ragetti's faded red shirt.

Pintel wouldn't let go of his friend. Not for anything. He just kept him in a tight hug all night. Eventually, Ragetti drifted to sleep in the embrace. Pintel stayed awake all night in this much needed hug. He wouldn't let Ragetti out of his sight. He wouldn't until he had to.

(author's notice: Hi yeah I'm sorry for the incredibly short chapter but how much can you really do without making people cry all over their computers? Right.)


	5. Chapter 4

**Pirate Hatter: Bellethial, will you do the honors?**

**Bellethial Skywalker: Fine. Pirate Hatter owns no part of Pirates and is not making money off it.**

**Pirate Hatter: Umm… about that last part…**

**Bellethial: Oo**

Shannon woke up on the red velvet couch she had passed out on. Still in Beckett's office. She shook herself awake and stretched.

"Becky?" She meshed down her frumpy blonde hair. Beckett was gone. The office was empty. She got up and went to the balcony to over look the morning port. The sun was just rising and was painting the sky a warm rainbow of colours.

Shannon inhaled the salty air deeply. A twinge of guilt arose in her chest. This was freedom: something those pirates didn't have. Why did she feel so guilty? Why did she freak out like that when she saw they're pictures? It was a mystery to her. Fate? Could it be destiny? Maybe…

She headed back inside and Beckett still had not returned from… where ever he was.

"Now what am I to do?" Shannon wondered aloud. Could she possibly escape from the guards? Maybe. They always seemed distracted by each other. What was that about? Their names escaped Shannon. Warthog? Mullramp? No… that wasn't right…

"Mullroy and Murtogg!" Shannon exclaimed. Immediately, the two guards ran in to the room. They looked out of breath and red in the face. There was something else, too… guilt? They looked guilty of something and wouldn't look at each other.

"What's wrong with you two? You look sweaty and guilty…" Shannon speculated whilst appraising the men. They looked at each other.

"Nothing's wrong, Miss Shannon. We were just standing outside the door like Lord Beckett ordered." Murtogg answered quickly. Mullroy held his breath. Shannon looked at them suspiciously. They both tensed up immensely.

"Fine, just as you say. By the by, where is Becky anyway?"

"He's meeting with the governor at the moment. He didn't want to wake you up so we were to stay here and make sure you don't…" Mullroy trailed off. Shannon looked annoyed.

"Make sure I don't do what? Go try and set those pirates free? It's just like Becky to be so paranoid!" Shannon threw up her hands and went back to the couch she had become almost attached to. Mullroy and Murtogg looked at each other and then back to the girl. She started to braid her hair with an intense scowl set upon her face. Murtogg shifted nervously.

"You can bloody well go back outside the door! You don't have to stay in here!" She barked at the guards. Mullroy puffed out his chest to make him seem domineering.

"Lord Beckett's orders were to stay outside the room when you were asleep and inside when you were awake! We intend to carry out his orders." Mullroy smiled inwardly, proud that he had stood up to this very frightening woman. Shannon arose from the couch, now with a braid tucked behind her ear.

"Lord Beckett's orders, eh? Stupid, stupid Becky." She shook her head. It was just like him to think of everything now wasn't it? Now what would she do?

"Am I allowed to leave if you two are in my company?"

Mullroy and Murtogg looked at each other. Murtogg shrugged.

"…No." Mullroy finally said after a long pause. Shannon sighed and went over to lean against the world map that made up the wall. She stared at the Caribbean section for a long time. She felt something bubbling up in her stomach. It was a light, feathery feeling. What was going on? She was feeling very strange… dizzy… light-headed.

"Mullroy, Murtogg… I don't feel…" Shannon grabbed her head to make the spinning stop. Her heart rate increased rapidly. She felt as though she were falling and spinning through the air… she blacked out and fell to the floor.


	6. Chapter 5

**Hello again, my fine readers (and hopefully reviewers). It is I, Pirate Hatter yielding warnings to you. Ok, this chapter has kissing… Pintel and Ragetti kissing to be more exact. If this sqicks you, do not fret for I have taken you homophobes (and I mean that in the nicest of ways) into consideration. I have lumped the main part of the kissing into a large paragraph so you can skip right on over it. The story makes sense either way! Huzzah!

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"AAAHHH!" Ragetti screamed, holding his head. A horrible head ache was killing him, as it had been for the past hour. It increased in horrible pressure and heat. He couldn't breath. Shuddering under the searing pain, he huddled closer to Pintel.

"Are ye ok, Rags?" Pintel asked, lightly placing his arms around his gaunt friend. Ragetti shook his head profusely and went back to whimpering in pain. Pintel stroked his head smoothly and pulled him close. He placed a light kiss on the top of Ragetti's head. Slow tears began tracing down Ragetti's unwashed face. They dropped, one by one, on to Pintel's shoulders. These salty waters dropped inside Ragetti's mouth from time to time but he didn't care or notice. He just wanted to make the awful torture cease.

"It 'urts so much, Pinters!" Ragetti sobbed. Pintel didn't know what to do. He just hugged him and rocked slowly to comfort him. Ragetti's crying slowed a bit.

"I love ye, Pinters," He whispered through the slowed crying.

"Love ye, too," Pintel replied. Ragetti raised his head and pressed his chapped lips to Pintel's.

"Thank ye," Ragetti murmured with a small smile. He snuggled closer to Pintel and closed his eyes.

"Feelin' better, then?" Pintel chuckled. Ragetti nodded and squeezed Pintel. There was silence between the two for the longest time.

"Pinters?" Ragetti asked in a somewhat cracked voice.

"Whot?"

"That 'eadache… it didn't feel normal…" Ragetti bit his lower lip. He couldn't explain it.

"O' course it weren't normal. Ye were cryin' for chriost's sakes." Pintel shrugged and closed his eyes as he rested his head against the cell wall.

"No, no' that. It was somffink else… I dunno… It felt… unnatural." Ragetti blurted. How could he possibly make Pintel understand? "Ye know how some people are connected by fate?" Ragetti reproached the situation with an example.

"Like you an' me?" Pintel was intrigued now.

"Yeah. Well it was like I were feelin' someone else's pain." Ragetti squeezed on to Pintel tighter. Pintel was confused.

"Yer crazy, Rags." Pintel rolled his eyes and looked back to Ragetti. He had made a puppy-eyed pout and looked so pathetic- even more so when Pintel noticed that his wooden eye wasn't even facing the same direction.

"Yer so weird!" Pintel laughed and hugged Ragetti tight enough to crush his bones. Ragetti laughed too.

Releasing only a stray giggle or two every so often, Ragetti smiled and snuggled against his friend's generous belly. He didn't care that they were in that cell, he just loved being with his Pinters. He raised his head up to Pintel's and kissed him softly. He was about to pull back when Pintel returned the kiss heatedly. He pressed his lips against Pintel's and suckled on his lower lip. A low groan escaped from inside Pintel's chest. Ragetti bit harder on Pintel's lip, attempting to open his mouth. He was more than happy to oblige. Ragetti's tongue explored Pintel's mouth, tasting him. Pintel cupped his hand around the back of Ragetti's head, pulling him into a more passionate, tongued kiss. Ragetti tangled his hands slightly in the little hair that Pintel had. Pintel moved from Ragetti's mouth to kiss on his neck, Ragetti squirming in delight.

"'Ey, 'ey, 'ey! None of that!" A guard banged on the metal bars, Pintel stopping immediately.

"Bite me." Pintel growled back. The guard became uneasy and walked away quickly. Pintel glared angrily at the floor and crossed his arms over his chest. He was happy for the first time since they were locked up and he damn well wanted to finish it. His mood lifted a bit when Ragetti gave him a slight kiss on the top of his head and resumed his position next to him.

"Don' worry, Pinters. We'll escape outta here an' git te do that stuff a whole lot!" Ragetti squeezed Pintel's arm and leaned against him slightly. Pintel sighed.

"Yeah… when we git outta here…" Pintel looked to the small window that held sunlight and nearly cried again. '_Poor, stupid Rags_'.

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**Pirate Hatter: yes I changed this chapter _slightly_ because it wasn't well written at all. I admit it, I can't write romance for my life. So, in desperation, I called upon my good friend Bellethial Skywalker to write the Moog romance for me. Granted, no, she is not a supporter for slash and got very weirded out when writing this for me but she's still alive so don't worry. This is still my story and I'm calling the shots. :P**


	7. Chapter 6

**Pirate Hatter: No, I don't own Pirates of the Caribbean. Believe me, I wish I did. No they belong to Disney. _Gay_ Disney.**

Shannon woke up on that same red velvet couch, dazed and confused. She had to blink a few times before she could clearly see again. As soon as she could, she saw a man standing very close with his face not an inch from hers. She screamed.

"WHAT THE HELL?!" She shrieked in the most unlady-like manner. The man (Beckett to be exact) jumped back from the screams.

"Well, good morning to you too." He straightened his jacket. Shannon sat up and rubbed her head.

"Whot the bugger is wrong wit ye?! Ye don' jist watch someone whens their sleepin'! Jeezie creezy." Shannon scoffed and folded her arms across her chest. She glared at Beckett in a nasty way. If looks could kill, Beckett would have been dead in seconds flat. He stared at her as though she had grown a second head or a third eye or something equally unnatural.

"Whot are ye starin' at, ye bug-eyed bilge rat?!" She barked at her cousin. His eyes grew wider at that sentence. He stood there, slack jawed at his cousin, who used to be a dignified, classy woman, now turned into a stunning similarity of a… a pirate!

"Shannon, are you ok? You do not seem quite…_ yourself_." He approached her with extreme caution. Shannon regarded at him with a "are you completely stupid?" look.

"Course 'm ok! Never felt better as a matter o' fact!" She huffed and looked away. She analyzed her sentence, trying to see what would give off the impression of something wrong. He eyes grew wide with horror. She **did** sound different. It was the accent, mostly but she never full out insulted her cousin to his face. No, she messed with him at times but she did respect him. She looked back at Beckett with a worried expression.

"I do sound a bit differ'nt… gorblimey, yer right! I sound bloody awful!" She clamped her hands over her traitor of a mouth.

Beckett called for Mullroy and Murtogg and they rushed in.

"Did anything… _unusual_ happen in my absence?"

With that, Murtogg started giggling into his hands and Mullroy started to sweat a bit.

"N-nothing happened, Lord Beckett! I swear nothing at all!" Mullroy sputtered. Murtogg just kept giggling.

"Not you two! I meant with Miss Shannon." Beckett motioned to his cousin, who started picking at her teeth absently. Mullroy and Murtogg straightened up.

"Yes, something odd did happen not five minutes before your return, sir." Mullroy answered.

"She had waltzed over to the world map, my lord. She stared at it before blacking out and falling backwards. Luckily, Mullroy caught her just before her head hit the floor. We laid her on the couch and waited for your return." Murtogg stated in a matter-of-fact fashion. Beckett thought about this unusual happening for a while, while Shannon busied herself by admiring Beckett's display swords.

"This may have something to do with the way you reacted to those pirates' picture yesterday…" Beckett mused. Shannon wasn't paying attention to him. She had gotten her hands on a sword and was demonstrating her intermediate technique to her invisible foe. Mullroy and Murtogg had long since left the room, making it so Beckett was now talking to himself. He didn't notice. He continued to pace around the room until he was abruptly cut off by a dangerously close jab. He shrieked slightly and jumped back, glaring at his now irresponsible – and now _laughing_ – cousin.

"Almost got yeh there! Best be lookin' out fer yeself, eh?" Shannon snickered with her tongue between her teeth as she went to practice somewhere else in the room. Beckett sighed.

"It seems to be getting worse," Beckett sighed as he rubbed his temples to stave off his growing headache. Shannon stopped – mid-parry – and stared at him blankly. The sword swung slightly in her lax grip as she stood there looking comically similar to a deer in the headlights. Just as sudden as she stopped, she ran to the balcony and retched over the side. Beckett turned a faint shade of green as he approached her.

"Um… are you alright?" Beckett gingerly laid his hand on Shannon's back. She was still bent over the railing, looking tired and ill. She vomited again and coughed a bit afterward. She wiped her mouth on her sleeve and walked back inside.

"Well, tha' wos rather unpleasant," Shannon flopped back on to the couch and grabbed her previously abandoned sword. She swished it absently in the air and went back to her familiar expression of boredom.

"Unpleasant?! You very nearly retched out your _stomach_!! Are you telling me that you don't give that a second thought?!" Beckett exploded. His face began to grow red and hot from the anger and frustration – not really directed at Shannon, just the situation. Shannon looked at him.

"I pro'lly jist got some food poisonin'. No big deal." Shannon shrugged.

"We need a doctor… or perhaps a priest." Beckett said with a look of disgust as Shannon belched loudly.


	8. Chapter 7

"Thank you so much for coming on such short notice." Lord Beckett thanked the surgeon who was handing his coat to one of Beckett's many servants. Beckett couldn't help but smile. He was truly relieved to have an expert come to diagnose the situation… of course he didn't dare tell him what the actual situation was yet.

"No trouble at all, Lord Beckett. Curious though, what is wrong with the patient your servants had mentioned?" He raised an inquisitive eyebrow to Beckett who tensed up immensely.

He turned on his heel and walked down the hallway to the office Shannon had made her 'Captain's Quarters' only twenty minutes ago. Beckett opened the down gently and peered inside to see if Shannon had calmed down from that nasty tantrum she had when he first refused for her to use his office. That's how he was kicked out in the first place. She was prancing around a couple of chairs that were tied back-to-back. Poor Mullroy and Murtogg were in those chairs and also tied up. Shannon skipped around the trapped pair and sang off-key, some strange song she had heard when she was much younger.

"We pillage, we plunder, we rifle, and loot. Drink up me hearties, yo ho!" At the words 'drink up me hearties' Shannon felt the need to plop herself down in Mullroy's lap and sing even louder while hugging him around his neck. He blushed. Shannon giggled and took a deep swig from a bottle she had been holding the entire time. Beckett panicked.

"What are you doing?!" He screamed as he ran into the room and snatched the bottle from his cousin's grip. She pouted and went back to half-cuddling the restrained guard. He blushed even deeper.

"Don't worry, Lord Beckett. It's only water. She started acting like this by choice really, not alcohol." Murtogg explained calmly.

Shannon was giggling as she whispered things into Mullroy's ear that made him practically blush purple. He looked to Beckett for help. Beckett rolled his eyes and pulled Shannon out of Mullroy's lap and then proceeded to untie them both. He was in the middle of freeing Murtogg when the surgeon made his presence known.

"Lord Beckett? This patient I'm here to treat…?" The surgeon drifted off. This situation was strange to say the least. He shifted uncomfortably while awaiting Beckett to finish freeing the guard.

"Yes, sorry. Your patient is over there on the couch, I'm sure." Beckett didn't need to look over to the velvet couch. Of course Shannon was on it. He kept his head down and walked out of the office in search of a pain killer for his growing headache.

"Right, then." The doctor strode over to his patient who now was giggling uncontrollably. Whatever was wrong with Shannon had gotten much worse. He looked at her skeptically before taking out his stethoscope. Shannon eyed the object suspiciously as he began to listen to her heart. Satisfied with his findings, he removed the instrument and went to grab the next one.

"Whot does my boob sound like?" Shannon asked while tugging at the shirt of the doctor.

"What?!"

"You was listenin' te me chest so 'm askin' ye whot it sounded like." Shannon smiled broadly. The doctor stared at her, horrified, and cleared his throat awkwardly. Things continued as such, the doctor doing a routine check up but Shannon lewdly mistaking every procedure.

Beckett arrived in the room about an hour later, to check on how the examination was going. Upon opening the door, he heard very strange noises. He found Shannon dancing and laughing her head off while the doctor was tied helplessly to a chair. Shannon seemed to enjoy taking captives. Beckett sighed and mentally thanked God for the fact he had already taken a couple of pain killers.

"Oh, Lord Beckett," the doctor noted, quite relieved, "I finished her examination a few minutes ago but then she shanghaied me into… whatever you would call this situation, really." Shannon started yelling out orders as though she were a ship's captain.

"On deck, you scabrous dogs! Weigh anchor and set a course for the Spanish Main! I want to see full sails! Stand down, you slimy bilge rats!" Shannon continued this rant as Beckett untied her latest victim.

"So what did you find out?" Beckett inquired as he looked at his ranting lunatic of a cousin.

"Well, I discovered that her fainting episode was a combination of low blood sugar and an extreme reaction caused by the vegus nerve."

"Vegus nerve?"

"Yes. It is a nerve in your body, more specifically your head, which controls things like heart rate, sweating, and speech. It seems as though it was in spasm and caused her to faint." The surgeon reported.

Beckett regarded Shannon, who was now lying on the floor and muttering something about 'that beautiful Caribbean sun'.

"What about her behavior now? Does that have something to do with that… nerve or something?"

The doctor sighed. "That is where my expertise escapes me, my Lord. I can't pretend to know what's happening here. It could be side effects like cabin fever, dehydration, or perhaps something else…"

"What do you mean?" Beckett was getting a bit nervous.

"Perhaps it is something unknown to man. Maybe God is at work… or even the devil. Whatever the case, I think the best thing would be for her to first get some good, fresh air and than take a rest. For two days, I would say. If nothing else, just humor her conditions. She'll be fine, I'm sure of it." With that, the doctor left and Beckett stood dumbfounded in the middle of his office.

"So there we was, trapped against the wall like rats in a kitchen! They had cutlasses and pistols in hand but ah didn't falter not one bit!" Shannon ranted animatedly to her cousin as they walked down the crowded streets of Port Royal. They coined a few stares and pointing but Shannon didn't notice. She was at the climax of her story of how she gave the East India Trading company the slip back in Singapore. This story of course wasn't true in the slightest. Shannon hadn't even made it past north Atlantic waters before she had decided to spend this summer with Beckett.

He wasn't listening to this story anyway. He had fixed an intense scowl on his face as they walked to the fort at the other end of the city. He had agreed to take Shannon out for this 'fresh air' and he had some business up there anyway. Shannon just continued to babble obliviously.

They reached the fort in record time. Beckett wanted to give Shannon no extra time for anymore of her 'stories'. They both walked briskly up the stairs to the open area that was used for many different occasions: hangings, promotions, parties, training, etc. Shannon gawked at the vastness of the fort. She had never visited Port Royal before after all. Beckett was mildly pleased with her reaction. After living here for so long, he often took the town for granted. Unfortunately, Beckett was so consumed with his thoughts that he didn't even notice when Shannon had run off.

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Pirate Hatter: Okay, I admit it. I pretty much made up that part about the Vegus nerve. But it is real and it does actually do that stuff. I just needed a good explanation for Shannon's fainting.**


	9. Chapter 8

Pintel and Ragetti were sitting in their cell, very bored. Ragetti often looked up from making a little ship out of straw (that vaguely resembled the _Black Pearl_) to gaze dreamily out the small window above their cell. He'd sigh wistfully but get straight back to work.

Pintel on the other hand was thinking up new ways to try and escape. The rest of the crew had tried many different ways of escaping before and, in effect, they were all taken away from each other to other parts of the city.

Pintel had always been a clever man. He didn't like to flaunt his intellect because he _was_ a pirate after all and he kept what he could for himself.

Ragetti never had that problem. He was as thick as the cell walls they were enclosed in but remarkably, he knew all sorts of trivia, history, and even a bit of mythology that Pintel could only make fanciful guesses about. Pintel never questioned it though: how he knew all what he knew. He had learned a tough lesson not to ask Ragetti to explain things. Ragetti had decided to answer Pintel's inquiry about Troy in full length and very precise detail. He also wouldn't let Pintel rest until he had finished his rambling. It was a very, _very_ long night.

But now, that was the furthest thing from his mind. Pintel was concentrating very hard on an escape plan. It seems that their best chance would be at night after the guards gave them their supper, if you could even call it that. It was a little more than cold soup and moldy bread but after ten years of not being able to eat, none of the pirates gave any thought to the condition of their food.

Pintel sighed. Even without that dreaded curse, they were still suffering. They went directly from one curse to another, one prison to the next. It seemed like no matter what they did, they would die cursed men. A soft cough derailed Pintel's thoughts abruptly.

"Hey, Pinters," Ragetti prodded him in the back, "Lookit whot I made." Ragetti motioned to his seemingly completed straw-ship. Unfortunately, straw doesn't make good supplies for arts and crafts of any sort. As soon as Pintel looked away from Ragetti's creation, it collapsed. Ragetti sighed regrettably.

In a fit of boredom, he removed his prosthetic eye and began fishing stray splinters out of his right eye socket. He tossed the slivers aside but instead of popping his eye back into its home, he tossed it between his hands boredly. He increased his speed gradually, to see how fast he could catch between the two hands. Ragetti unfortunately over looked the small detail that he was almost completely devoid of any grace or coordination. As a result, he missed the flying optical which bounced several times on the floor before rolling merrily out of their cell.

"M-ME EYE!!" Ragetti shrieked. He dove for it but it was too late. It was well out of reach and sitting idly at the other side of the hallway. Ragetti stuck his arm out of the bars as far as he could, groping for his most prized possession. He finally admitted defeat and slunk back over to the scratchy pile of straw they had to call a bed. He curled up on the bed as he rested his head very low to the ground.

Pintel had taken notice, of course. As soon as he saw that flying sphere and the shrill cry from his best friend, he knew what had happened. Of course Ragetti had lost his eye before, both his real one as well as his wooden one. It was really the latter that had given him the most trouble. His sight was limited obviously, but at least he could retrieve the prosthetic so he wouldn't have a gaping hole in his face. The difficulty was mostly on the _Black Pearl_, with the rocking and slippery deck. Amazingly enough, he would always manage to retrieve the eye and settle it back into its place.

Pintel began devising a new plan, but this time with a completely different objective: get Ragetti's eye back.

'_We could prol'ly make a stick or somethink long enough te get the eye… but whot if it rolls away even farther? I suppose we _might_ be able te get the dog or possibly a guard te give it back… but tha's really only if we're lucky._' Pintel considered all the options available. The best idea would be to try and make something long enough for them to retrieve the eye. The dog wouldn't be cooperative enough and the guards would most likely kick it down the hallway and laugh in their face. Pintel started gathering the straw needed when a rather loud, and rather shrill, noise cut him off.

"This ain't the armory!" A young woman called out. She looked out of breath as she very nearly fell down the stairs and stumbled into the dankness of the dungeon. Her hair was golden blonde which would shimmer beautifully in the sunlight… if it were brushed properly, that is. Just as she reached the last step of the stairs, she tripped, fell, and crashed against the stone wall like a rag doll. Both pirates gawked at the seemingly injured girl. Amazingly enough though, she stood back up, brushed herself off, and smiled broadly.

"Eh… miss? Would ye mind terribly te be so 'elpful as te get me eye back, please?" Ragetti pleaded meekly. The woman snapped to attention and looked around.

"Ye lost yer eye??" She asked while looking around in the dark corridor. She found the eye before Ragetti could answer, brushed it off, and handed it to Pintel. Ragetti gratefully accepted his prosthetic and happily popped it back into its rightful place. The eye swiveled around a bit before adjusting to about the same position as the other one. Ragetti grinned and thanked her.

"You two seem quite familiar… have we conversed prior to this occasion or is my mind playing tricks upon me?" She studied the two for an intense moment. Pintel looked back to Ragetti, who shrugged unknowingly.

"I don' think we 'ave, miss. Never seen you before. Me name's Pintel an' the one-eyed git over there is Ragetti." Pintel jerked a thumb in Ragetti's general direction, the latter waving meekly to their visitor.

"Fancy that, I do believe I **have** seen you two before. The memory and details escape me, though. Actually, the past day and a half is a rather vague blur but your faces are familiar to me none the less. My name is Lady Shannon Beckett of England," She curtseyed politely, "I am here for the summer to visit my cousin, Lord Cutler Beckett. Perhaps you have heard of him?"

Ragetti and Pintel exchanged a pained grimace as well as an expression that held utter loathing to the name and title. Shannon's curiosity was immediately aroused by the two men.

"Your expressions hold traces of hatred and pain. For what reason is this?" She crouched down to Pintel's level (he was sitting the entire time mind you) so they could properly converse. Pintel let a strained sigh escape as his face became entirely serious.

"Why do ye think we're in this bloody cage te begin with?" Shannon thought for a moment, a rather quick moment at that, and she showed an expression of revelation. Part of her memory came back, how she had reacted to their records and how brutal she was when asking her cousin a very simple question. That part was back but the rest was not so.

"Y-You're pirates!" She covered her mouth with her hand in shock, "I **have** seen you two before! I saw your prison records not two days ago!"

"Aye, we're pirates. We served un'ner Cap'n Barbossa of the _Black Pearl_," He paused to allow an expected gasp to come from Shannon. He waited but none came. She just sat there, waiting to hear his life's story as though she were an infant. He continued, "Ten years ago we sailed un'ner Cap'n Jack Sparrow. We was sailin' te the Isla de Muerta in search of Aztec gold. Only Cap'n Jack knew where the island was. Barbossa asked 'im and Cap'n Jack told all. The next night, we mutinied against 'im an' marooned 'im on an island barely bigger than this corridor. We got te the island and found the gold. 882 pieces of gold there were, all belongin' te Cortez 'imself. But there was a price we 'ad te pay-"

"The gold was cursed! We couln't eat, feel, drink or noffik! Not even pleasurable company would 'elp us when we was cursed." Ragetti interrupted. Pintel whacked his head forcefully but not even so much as to dislodge his eye again. Ragetti just smiled and scooted a bit closer to his friend.

"Yeah… we couln't feel anythin'. Not the spray of the sea, nor warmth, nor pain. We couln't die and every night as the moon would shine, our flesh would rot away te show us for whot we really were." Pintel took on an expression of remorse. He turned to his comrade to finish the tale.

"The problem was, we 'ad given all the pieces away for the things we couln't feel anymore. We searched fer two years fer all 882 pieces, each one calling te the pirate who first gave it away. We found them all, by any means necessary, and we had neared the end of our curse. Except, one of the pirates 'ad felt guilty 'bout betrayin' ol' Cap'n Jack like that. 'E sent away 'is piece on purpose an' said we disserved te be cursed… an' remained cursed. We sen' 'im te the depths, we did, but we forgot tha' we couln't find the piece wiffout 'im **an'** that we needed his blood to undo the curse. Eight years went by an' we never did find that piece…"

The story grew and grew as the minutes turned to hours. Shannon listened intently to the ill fate of these pirates. No one came to retrieve her and, though curious of that fact, she remained in the prison to hear out the tale. The end of the story came and she was on the verge of tears, for why she didn't know. These were pirates after all and they disserved every bit of bad luck that could be thrown at them. Even with the mind that they had murdered, robbed, and all other disgraceful things, she could not help but have a heavy heart for these souls. She felt something arise in her chest. It was a strangely familiar feathery feeling that reminded her of… something… but the fainting never came. Instead, she stood up and brushed herself off while the two conversed amongst themselves.

"Gentlemen- well, pirates I should say, I have listened to your tale and I must say that my heart holds compassion for you two. But you are pirates, and therefore disserve the punishment you receive. Regrettably, even if that means a hanging in your future. I do not make the laws; I abide by them, much unlike you. Justice will be brought with a swift pull on that handle and your legacy will end. It is the fate you chose as you signed the _Black Pearl_'s articles. I'm not sorry." With that arrogant end, she turned on her heel and proceeded to walk up the stairs. As she marched away, she heard something that wretched her heart straight out of her chest.

"Pinters… I don' wanna die."

**Pirate Hatter: The longest of the chapters so far! Yes Shannon seems kind of a bitch in this chapter but that's because her 'weirdness' has worn off… for now. Remember, she's a prim and proper Lady in the court of the King of England. She _has_ to be a bitch! Well, for now.**


	10. Chapter 9

Shannon tossed and turned on her bed that Beckett had finally granted her. She wasn't used to this Caribbean heat after all and it took its toll as the hours trudged by. The sheets twisted and writhed on top of her. She was having a nightmare.

She dreamt that she was sailing out at sea. She inhaled the cool, salty air deeply and looked up to the sunset-painted sky. Resting her head on her arms, the sky faded from the orange rainbow to the deep indigo sky, speckled with tiny diamonds. She smiled contently and raised her gaze to the glowing full moon. It entranced her and she stood up straight, as though trying to get a better view of this lunar majesty. She sighed as she lowered her head to her chest and gawked down at her body. It was rotted away and she could see every bit of her bones and decaying flesh. She started to cry. Her tears soaked through her flesh and ran down her exposed bones. She turned and saw her friends and family, including Beckett, all the same as her: cursed skeletons lit only by the moonlight. Suddenly, the ship was attacked by pirates. Shannon and her friends fought unfazed, for they could not die. Then, quite unexpectedly, they were flesh again, even in the bare moonlight. They retreated their attack and everything faded from view. Now she was in line with her comrades for the noose. One by one, they were killed off. She saw her mother and father in the surrounding crowd, booing her and demanding her demise. Tears flooded forth as she shifted her gaze to Beckett, now getting the noose fitted around his own neck. He looked to her, his eyes filled with fear and love. Abruptly, the floor dropped from under him. Shannon screamed as racking and uneven sobs crashed down on her. It was her turn next; the same treatment, but this time with a lot more booing and cheering for her end. The floor disappeared and the rope tightened around her throat. Everything faded to black…

Shannon's eyes snapped open quickly. The sheets had twisted around her neck and she was covered with a cold sweat. She untied the sheets and rose to get a glass of water.

"This isn't right…" She said to her reflection in the washroom mirror. She didn't know what she was referring to: her compassion for those thrice-damned pirates or the dream itself. The rest of the night preceded the same, each time the nightmare growing worse and worse.

Shannon rose the next morning to an already brightly lit harbor. She groaned at the sting on the light and rolled over in her bed. She had not gotten the proper amount of sleep she needed and that damn light was making it so much worse. She closed her eyes to try and darken the room but with the 'beautiful Caribbean sun' shining so bright, that only made her gaze turn orangish-red. Aside from that, the door burst open with a very audible slam.

"Shannon? Oh you're not up yet. No matter. I was just going to check on how you were feeling." Beckett exclaimed. This morning, Shannon found him to be a bit… _peppy_, if that was possible. He was also being very loud… in Shannon's personal opinion. He lifted her head with a groan, eyes still not fully open.

"Aside from being exceedingly annoyed with _someone_ for neither knocking nor any consideration for what I might have been doing in here, yes I'm quite fine." She glared intensely at her cousin, who had been killed repeatedly only hours before this moment, in her dreams.

"Um… well, good. I'm just relieved that you are alright. You had us quite worried the other day." He smiled meekly. Shannon should have counted herself lucky. Beckett's smile was charming and friendly but he never let anyone see it. He tried to create an air of a poised, controlled, and otherwise domineering man but all is lost if he flashed that brilliant smile. Shannon didn't notice.

"What in God's green earth are you **talking** about, Becky?" She propped herself up on her elbows and waited for his answer. She still had no recollection of the past two and a half days and hadn't the faintest idea of what he was speaking of.

"You don't remember? That's quite a surprise, though it might be for the best." Beckett was thinking aloud again, which annoyed Shannon to no end. She utterly _loathed_ when people did that because it seemed as though they were just trying to get one's attention or arouse one's curiosity. The unfortunate thing was that it worked.

"Ok… **what** don't I remember, Becky?" Shannon sat straight up now, crossing her arms over her chest with a trace of a scowl on her face. Beckett explained the past day's happenings. Shannon's eyes grew wider at each story and ramble and she was utterly shocked when it came to a close. When Beckett told each story, the missing piece from her memory was filled in and she remembered more and more of her episode. Mortified, she sent Beckett out of the room so she could be by herself.

The morning gave way to the afternoon and Shannon allowed herself to be seen in public once again. The only person actually uncomfortable with her presence was Mullroy, still embarrassed at how "friendly" she was with him while she was in that episode. He refused to make eye contact with her, and when he would slip up and accidentally lock his gaze with hers, he would blush a very fine shade of crimson that matched his uniform. Shannon remembered what she had said to that man but strangely didn't regret it, as if she enjoyed his awkwardness around her.

Often times during the day, whatever she was doing, Shannon would catch herself humming a song. She remembered it from her episode earlier but couldn't for the life of her recall where she had learned it. Her conditions began to get worse. She would more than often _snort_ when she laughed or made snide remarks or cruel insults to anyone who got on her bad side. It wasn't as bad as before but now she seemed so much more dangerous than the lunatic girl she had been two days prior.

In desperation, Shannon decided to go to the only two people she felt she could actually talk to now: Pintel and Ragetti. Nearly sprinting across the city (not _actually_ sprinting; she is a lady after all), she made her way to the fort and down to the prison cells. This time, instead of seeing those two pirates together, she only saw Pintel who looked almost dead. His mouth was ever so slightly agape and he stared blankly to the wall. He didn't even flinch as Shannon came rushing down the stairs.

"P-Pintel?" Shannon called. She very nearly collapsed right then and there for lack of oxygen. "W-where's Ragetti?" She puffed.

"Gone. They took 'im," Pintel shifted his dead gaze to Shannon, "They… they took 'im! Jist out of the blue, no rhyme nor reason!!! They took 'im from me!" Pintel resumed his original position as silent tears made their way down his face and fading into his gray beard. Shannon froze at his words.

"They… _took him_?!" Shannon was surprised she could scream so loud. Pintel's head perked up with shock but nodded slowly in reply. Shannon fell over onto the floor, still panting from her run. She stared at the man, waiting for some response other than a nod but none came. He just continued to cry and sniffle for the loss of his closest friend.

"Well… do you know where they took him?" Shannon tried.

"They said somethink 'bout a new prison hold on the other side of the city. Lass, ye ain't thinkin' 'bout savin' Rags, are ye?" Pintel's voice was doubtful but hope shown through in his pale green eyes. Shannon smiled smugly and nodded. She then stood up, brushed herself off once more, and proceeded to find "Keys", the name so affectionately given to the dog with the keys.

Pintel watched through the wrought iron bars at the struggle between Shannon and the mutt. They very nearly got into a wrestling right there before Pintel intervened the best he could.

"Poochie! Come 'ere, boy! Uncle Pinters got a nice bone for ye!" Pintel called to the mutt. He immediately stopped tugging away from Shannon and happily trotted over to Pintel who was waving the bone about. He perched himself in front of the bars and sat there, almost mocking Pintel. Keys had heard that routine before and every time, those people had nearly forced him to take the bone. Like the well trained dog he was, he never gave in.

Pintel noticed the dog's rebellion quickly. He withdrew the slightly rotted bone back to his cell. He smiled smugly to himself as began to chew on the bone absently. Keys cocked his head with interest as the man chewed and licked the bone, wherever it came from. The bone itself tasted faintly of blood and chicken but Pintel ignored this retched taste as he stuff the majority of it in his mouth. Keys did not find this action regular. Mostly, the prisoners would beg and plead for him to drop the keys and take the bone. Mostly, he would be indignant that they would classify him along with the other generic dogs that _might_ fall for such bribery. This time, Keys found himself near panting for the enjoyment the bone had brought the pirate. Keys lost control of himself and dropped the chain of keys to the floor. He barked and whined at Pintel, who simply ignored the dog further. Only when the dog was on his back legs did Pintel finally give in and grant the dog the bone. Shannon smiled and grabbed the forgotten keys before the dog could pick them up again.

"With a knick knack, patty whack; give a dog a bone." Shannon half-sang as she unlocked the bars for Pintel. He chuckled, rolling his arms to work the kinks out as if the cell had been so cramped. Keys had taken notice of this affair and was embarrassed that he was tricked so easily. He drew his attention away from the ill tasting bone and barked at the two to get his keys back. Pintel simply took the keys from Shannon and stuffed them in his own coat.

"We might be needin' these te free Rags." He stated simply. Shannon nodded and started to head upstairs when Keys began tugging on her dress and growling fiercely.

"I wouldn't think Keys would let us go so easily. He wants to protect those keys." Shannon sighed. Keys continued to growl deeply as he tugged and pulled harder on Shannon's dress, almost to the point where she would lose her footing.

"Yeah… but I think we overlooked anod'er problem, poppet. We can't jist walk on out te the streets… er at least I can't." He began to help Shannon pull away from the mutt's grip but it was as strong as ever. She finally broke free, stumbled onto Pintel, and knocked both of them to the floor. Shannon sat back up but failed to notice that she was now straddling Pintel's waist. Pintel noticed.

"-Or we could just do this…" Pintel grinned widely at Shannon as he began sliding his slightly grimy hand up her thigh. Shannon almost immediately swatted the hand away (_almost_) while blushing over ten different shades of red. She quickly got up and brushed herself off while refusing to make eye contact with the pirate. Pintel's devious grin lowered to a smirk but he continued his earlier rant none the less.

"Anyway, I can't jist walk out inte the streets in broad daylight. I'm pretty damn obvious te spot in this bloody sodding town. Got any ideas, poppet?" Shannon thought deeply and looked around. She spotted a gun in the corner, obviously left behind by some absent minded guard.

"I have an idea. Give me back the keys and wait in the cell. I'll be back in not but a moment." Pintel followed her instructions with only an inquisitive eyebrow raised to it all.

* * *

**Pirate Hatter: OoOo! What's Shannon going to do? What if someone finds out she's helping the pirates? Will Keys ever get the keys back? Will this story turn into a shameless PintelOC story? And what of poor, ickle Ragetti?? Find out in the next chapter of (the overused title) A Touch of Destiny!!! ((Lightening)) Was this a bad place to leave off?**


	11. Chapter 10

Shannon returned a moment later with a particularly large bundle of red cloth. She smiled a bit as she set them down to open Pintel's cell. Intrigued by the cloth, Pintel inspected it over a few times before unfolding them to discover what they really were.

"Marines' clothes? Poppet, where did ye get these from?" Pintel regarded her with a confused but slightly amused expression. Shannon simply smiled as she stuffed the keys into a brown leather bag she had brought with her. She started to take off her dress when she realized Pintel was still there. Her petticoat and corset were almost completely visible to the now smug-looking pirate.

"Um… right. We're going to be changing into these garments to pass off as marines so we are to get into the jail they put Ragetti in."

"Ye said ye is a Lady in the Court o' the King o' England. Ye can jist prance off te any place ye want, so why ye changin'?"

Shannon sighed and rolled her eyes as if the answer was obvious to anyone with half a brain.

"Don't you think it would be a bit suspicious if I were being escorted around the town with a grubby faced marine?" Shannon scoffed. Pintel took the insult rather hard.

"Can't help bein' all 'grubby', poppet! Hadn't been granted a wash since we got here!" Shannon sighed and handed him a bucket of water and a rather faded hand rag.

"At least _try_ to look presentable." Pintel began to wash his hands and splash a bit of the water onto his face. The water turned dull brown as it ran from his face to the floor. Shannon recoiled in disgust.

"Git used te it, poppet. Pirates don' worry bout stuff like lookin' 'presentable' or that other shite."

"Than what _do_ you monsters care about? Murdering, stealing, and buggering each other for one night and not caring whether they live or die the next raid?! I don't honestly know why I'm even helping you two in the first place! You just bend that man over a canon, pull his trousers down, and bugger him hard and fast and get it over with real quick so you don't have to see him until you absolutely have to! That's really why you want to save him! He's only your sex toy, isn't-"

Shannon didn't have the luxury of finishing her rant. Pintel slammed his slightly grimy hand into her chest and forced her back against the wall. A sickening '_**crack!**_' was heard as her fragile head made contact with the solid stone wall. Pintel wore a nasty scowl as he spoke with murder thick in his voice.

"Don't ye **EVER** talk that way 'bout me and Rags." He growled deep in his throat. Shannon remained silent in wide-eyed fear. She nodded a bit and Pintel let her go, adverting his eyes from her horror stricken face.

They changed into their disguises in total silence. Shannon often felt tears welling up in her golden eyes- not from the sting of her near fatal head injury, no. She felt sorry for insulting the pirate like that. She had lost it, she admitted that in silence… but what she didn't understand is why he reacted so violently. Was there more to it? What if he actually…

'_Can pirates actually do that? Love? Is it possible? Certainly he's not… after I was on top of him… the way he reacted… they have to be just friends… right?_' Shannon was clouded in doubt; so fogged up that Pintel's voice didn't even register until after a moment.

"Well, I'm ready te go. Whot 'bout you?" Shannon lifted her head to see Pintel: nearly clean in a pressed and crisp marine's hat and uniform (complete with a cravat) and hair tied back away from his face. He was scowling of course but if there's one thing to be said about Pintel, he cleans up real nice. Shannon gawked for a moment at the transformed pirate. He glared at the floor, obviously not happy with the costume change.

"Oh… wow…" Shannon meekly commented. She felt a hot blush rise to her cheeks. Pintel was a handsome man, once you scrubbed away the muck and grime. She continued to stare at the man for a bit longer, completely disregarding the fact she wasn't wearing a top. Pintel looked up to see her naked chest, staring awkwardly before pointing it out.

"Poppet… yer not wearin' a top. So… ye might want te fix that." Pintel looked away uncomfortably as Shannon took notice and finally put her shirt on. She tied her hair into a braid and wrapped it in bondage- in order to look more convincing. She smiled a bit as she examined herself and the pirate. They looked official and extremely convincing. Shannon stuffed Pintel's clothes into the brown leather bag so he wouldn't have to be dressed as a marine the entire time.

"Whot about yer dress?" Pintel asked. Shannon regarded the faded blue dress with the silken trim. It was a beautiful dress, much more elegant than she could afford for herself, but she hated it.

"I'm not taking it. Honestly, Pintel, do you really think I'll be much use in that thing with its restricting and suffocating petticoats and corset? I can barely walk, let alone run." Shannon finished her explanation and reached for the abandoned guns. She handed one to Pintel, who caught it absently and raised it to his shoulder just as a real marine would.

"Mr. Pintel! Do you have the courage and fortitude to suck up to a commanding officer and act like a tool?!" Shannon barked at Pintel. He straightened up, saluted, and grinned.

"Can't scare me that easily, poppet- sorry, Ms. Poppet. I was in the royal navy fer two years 'afore I signed the Black Pearl's articles." Pintel grinned smugly at the astonished-looking Shannon.

"Then this will be easier than I thought."

* * *

**Pirate Hatter: Things are getting interesting. This chapter was way too short, though.**


	12. Chapter 11

Sneaking out of the fort was easy enough. No one paid any special attention to the two 'marines' walking about. They got a few stares from the others because of Pintel's unshaven face but other than that, they marched right past everyone else. It was so easy-

"You two, soldiers!" Barked a Lieutenant. Shannon and Pintel froze in their tracks, exchanged horrified glances, and turned on the spot to face their commanding officer. "Where are you two going? And for Heaven's sake, why didn't you shave recently?"

The Lieutenant was Andrew Gillette, who was recently promoted because of the Black Pearl incident. He looked rather handsome in the blazing afternoon sun, which made the golden buttons on his uniform show even brighter. Shannon stared at her 'commanding officer', much more than a straight man (or a marine) would. He was cute in a way, Shannon couldn't deny that. A very slight blush rose to her cheeks, but before Gillette could take notice, Pintel saved her arse.

"We was headin' over te the prison on the odder side of the city… _sir_. It's Lord Beckett's orders that we put more security over there, what with the recent transport of another pirate." Pintel tried to change his voice a bit late in his explanation. Gillette was a little suspicious of these two marines. He had never seen them before.

"Well… alright then. If it's Lord Beckett's orders." Gillette concluded. His half-lidded and self-righteous gaze locked on Shannon, who was still very enamored by the Lieutenant. She covered her face to hide her blush by pretending to cough.

"Yes, sir. But the problem is, we are fairly new te this city an' don't know where the prison is. It seemed rather improper te ask the Lord himself."

"It's just east of Governor Swann's house. If you get to the pier, you've gone a bit too far." Gillette motioned somewhat to the left of the conversation. Shannon nodded her head and did a short bow before dragging Pintel away.

"New recruits…" Gillette scoffed while rolling his eyes.

"Whot was that back there, eh? Yer jist all frozen an' _I_ have te do the talkin'?" Pintel nudged Shannon in the ribs to wake her up from her dream-like trance.

"What? Oh… right the… um… fort… what were we talking about?" Shannon flushed a bit as the pirate glared sideways at her.

"Back at the fort, poppet. You: all frozen and whatnot. Me: Doin' all the talkin'. Now whot's gotten inte yer head that ye can't talk an' get all nervous- waitaminute… Poppet gots a little crush on the Lieutenant, eh?" Pintel snorted.

"Do not! It was the heat. It got me flushed-" Shannon sputtered

"Flushed wit luuuuuuuuve!! Poppet gots a crush! Poppet gots a crush on the Lieutenant!" Pintel mocked Shannon with a song. Anger and embarrassment pulsed through her body, blood rising to her face. In one swift move, she socked Pintel straight in the gut. He doubled over, the wind knocked out of him.

"Cor blimey, poppet!" Pintel wheezed, collapsing to the ground. He panted and bit before getting back up and resting against the wall. "Whot in hell did ye do that for?!"

"Do NOT mock me, Mr. Pintel! I will not stand for mockery and you took your little joke a bit too far! I do NOT have feelings for Lieutenant Gillette or any other member of the Royal Navy, is that clear?" Shannon spat at the pirate, who finally regained his breath.

"Touchy, touchy" Pintel grumbled under his breath. They proceeded to Governor Swann's house as a mark for their journey.

"So… which way is east?" Shannon asked suddenly while they were resting on the ground next to the gate of Governor Swann's house. It had been an entirely too brisk walk to the house and they were completely exhausted. She looked to Pintel who just shrugged unknowingly. "Bollocks." Shannon grunted.

After a while, they saw a man walk up to their resting place. They immediately scrambled to their feet. The man had shimmering brown hair which was forced back into a very messy ponytail. He had a small mustache and beard and was wearing mostly dull brown. He was carrying and rather large box in hand, which probably contained a dress or a parasol or some other clothing item.

"Excuse me," he started, "what are you two gentlemen doing here?" He looked at both of them curiously before Shannon spoke up.

"We are on our way to the new prison hold just east of here. What are you doing here, Mister…?" Shannon faded out. She had seen this man before but couldn't remember his name. She had seen him when she first came to Port Royal about two weeks ago but was not properly introduced. She remembered Beckett mumbling something about a blacksmith.

"Turner. William Turner. Pleased to make your acquaintance. What are your names?" Will politely shook hands with both of them.

"Nelson," Shannon blurted out. "Name's Alexander Nelson. His name is Caleb Kasmarik. We're new to Port Royal." 'Caleb' nodded to Shannon's introductions but couldn't help but wonder where she came up with those names.

"Caleb Kasmarik? That's a rather odd name."

"It's Czech. His mum was from the Czech Republic and his dad was from Britain. But enough about us, where is the prison?" Shannon was always good at thinking on her feet but this had to be a record. Pintel, on the other hand, was trying to figure out where the hell Czechoslovakia was.

"Czech, huh? I wonder what his father was doing over in the Czech Republic in the first place." Will asked, sounding rather suspicious and once again avoiding the question.

"I don't know. Business? Military? It's really not our place to judge. But about the prison…"

"Well I'm just saying it's a rather odd place to go for any reason." Will remarked in an uppity way. Shannon was getting frustrated with this man.

"You don't know what was going on. How could you even understand? Where is the prison, Mr. Turner? If you don't know then please direct us to someone who does." Shannon crossed her arms over her chest like she always does when she gets annoyed. Will glared at her for a few moments before Pintel's cough broke the tense silence.

"So… do you know which way is east then?" Pintel asked meekly. Will shook his head 'no'.

"But my fiancée might be able to tell you. She's more familiar with that sort of thing than I am. Come on." Will gestured for them to follow but Pintel remained behind. Shannon looked at him inquisitively but Pintel merely shook his head a firm 'no'.

"No sense in both of us going in. I'll wait here, it's no big deal." Pintel motioned for Shannon to go. She nodded and followed William Turner in to the luxurious manor.

"Wow. This place is amazing." Shannon complemented when they were granted entrance to the mansion. Will nodded a bit and soon a servant came by.

"Here to see Ms. Swann, Mr. Turner?" The servant asked Will. He smiled and nodded his head. The servant scurried up the stairs to Elizabeth's room and left Will and 'Alex' by themselves.

"So… have you lived in Port Royal a long time?" Shannon used a common ice breaker as they awaited Ms. Swann's arrival.

"About… 9 years in a few months. Same for Elizabeth. We actually met on the ship coming to Port Royal. I was unconscious and adrift at sea." Will glanced sideways to 'Alex' who remained unfazed at the wild story.

"Well, I guess it's true what they say: all great romances have a peculiar beginning. I wish luck to both of you." 'Alex' smiled to Will as Governor Swann descended the stairway.

"Ah, William. Good to see you. Who is your friend there?" Governor Swann held out his hand for 'Alex' to shake. 'He' did so as Will introduced 'him'.

"This is Alexander Nelson. He was instructed to put more security on the new prison. Which way is it from here, sir?"

"Let's see… the sun rises in the east and settles in the west… it's that way." Governor Swann pointed in a general direct that Shannon quickly memorized. At that moment, Elizabeth emerged from her room and climbed down the stairs.

"Will!" She exclaimed as she dashed forward to hug him, knocking Shannon almost to the ground. She crashed against the wall and had the wind knocked out of her.

"Oof!" She gasped. Elizabeth detached herself from Will and took notice of the 'man' she nearly killed from her stampede.

"Oh, I am extremely sorry, sir. I didn't see you there. My apologies." Elizabeth helped 'him' up from the wall and brushed 'him' off.

"That's alright, no harm done. I was just leaving anyway. Pleasure to meet you all. Excuse me." Shannon nearly made it to the door before she was stopped by Elizabeth's almost annoying and nagging voice.

"Why the rush? You could stay for a bit longer." 'Alex' turned around to meet Elizabeth's batting eyelashes.

'_What the devil does she think she's- oh right. I'm a man… this is awkward… for me at least._' Shannon was thoroughly disgusted by the action. On the inside, she was vomiting her entire stomach out and dieing right there on the floor but had to seem calm on the outside.

"Well Madame I really need to get to the prison not too far from here and I'm in a big rush so I think I should go." Shannon sped through that sentence as fast as she could so she could leave this entirely uncomfortable circumstance.

"Oh alright, if you insist. I guess I have Will for a reason after all." Elizabeth giggled and winked at 'Alex' who flushed with disgust and embarrassment.

"Elizabeth, please! What has gotten into you? Can't you see you're embarrassing Mr. Nelson?" Governor Swann glowered disapprovingly at his daughter who was now clinging onto William's arm once more. She rolled her eyes and hugged a little tighter to Will. Shannon took this chance to bow quickly before excusing herself from the house and briskly marching toward the front gate where Pintel was waiting patiently.

"How'd it go?" He asked as Shannon marched right past him.

"I was just being hit on by the Governor's engaged daughter; how do you _**think**_ it went?!" Shannon screamed as she pressed on. Pintel followed closely behind in wide eyed amazement.

"What?"

"Nothingnevermindlet'sjustkeepgoing." Shannon murmured as they marched east to the prison.

* * *

**Pirate Hatter: Just what every chapter needs: Cross dressing and uncomfortable situations. This chapter is dedicated to my very best friends Bellethial Skywalker and Mitsukai no Shi. They know why.**


	13. Chapter 12

Shannon and Pintel finally reached the prison after she finished explaining the most humiliating and disgusting incident in her entire life. Pintel was struck speechless but he wore a highly amused expression none the less. Shannon punched him in the shoulder.

"Cut that out! That was the worst moment in my entire life and you are not to take ANY amusement from it!" She punched him in the shoulder once again for good measure. Pintel winced.

"Sorry 'Nelson'. I think yer too high strung 'bout the whole thing. It's really funny in a way. Jist think o' Elizabeth's face if she knew ye were a woman." Pintel snickered with his tongue between his teeth. Shannon's mind drew up a scenario of what might happen…

xoxox

"_Ms. Elizabeth, I'm sorry. Stop coming on to me because I am a woman who is cross dressing in a desperate attempt to free a pirate condemned to death." Shannon stated as she pulled her hair out of the bondage. Her golden hair spilled out from her tri-cornered hat. She smiled a bit. Elizabeth's jaw dropped to the floor and her eyes went so wide Shannon could see every bit of the white around it. Will was snickering._

"_Oh God, that is so hot." He cooed. Shannon grimaced._

xoxox

"No… no that's still weird. _Really_ weird." Shannon gagged and coughed a bit. Pintel stared at her for a minute but went back to his lewd fantasy of what _should_ have happened…

oxoxo

"_Ms. Elizabeth, I'm sorry. Stop coming on to me because I am a woman who is cross dressing in a desperate attempt to free a pirate condemned to death." Shannon stated as she pulled her hair out of the bondage. Her golden hair spilled out from her tri-cornered hat. She smiled a bit. Elizabeth was shocked but smiled back._

"_I know." She purred as she moved closer to Shannon, brushing the hair away from her face. She leaned in very close to her mouth and rubbed her hand down Shannon's arm-_

oxoxo

Shannon slapped Pintel extremely hard on the cheek. He reeled back from the sting and growled from the pain.

"Whot the hell?!" He screamed. Shannon glared intensely at Pintel.

"I know you were thinking of some unholy circumstance between me and that woman! Stop it you freak!"

"How in buggerin' 'ell do ye know that?!" Pintel growled back.

"Because your erection is pressing against the front of your breeches, that's how." Shannon replied calmly. Pintel looked down and immediately blushed twenty different shades of red. He excused himself and ran into an alley where he was out of Shannon's sight.

"Ew."

--

Pintel returned about ten minutes later and smiling dreamily.

"Ok. I'm good. Let's go." He motioned for Shannon to follow. She got up from the barrel she was sitting on.

"Did I hear you moaning Ragetti's name?" Shannon asked suspiciously. Pintel froze in his spot and turned to face Shannon. He was blushing deep red and had his mouth clenched shut. He shook he head 'no' and kept moving into the prison. Shannon smiled smugly to herself as she followed him in. "Whatever you say, Mr. Pintel. You have a lewd fantasy of Elizabeth and me; I get to have one of you and Ragetti… yours might actually be true, though. That makes it more fun." Pintel stumbled a bit but kept moving ahead.

--

Shannon and Pintel got to the prison after a very uncomfortable silence. It was considerably smaller than the fort's prison. It had only ten individual cells and about four guards keeping watch on the outside.

"I guess your story was believable after all. This place has _horrible_ security." Shannon whispered to Pintel. He nodded in reply. They were suddenly approached by a rather decorated man. He leered down to both of them and was back lit by the golden Caribbean sun.

"Are you two the replacements?" He asked in a harsh tone. Shannon nodded. "Good, we need security on the inside of the prison as well. One of the pirates has been raising quite a racket in there." The man gestured to the prison.

"Yes sir, Commodore Norrington. Right away." Shannon saluted Commodore James Norrington as he walked away from the pair. Pintel grabbed the polished brass keys off the hook next to the door. He unlocked the door, quickly let Shannon in, and closed it firmly.

"Oy, no! Not more bloody red coats!" A prisoner complained. Shannon and Pintel couldn't keep the grins off their faces; the prisoner was Ragetti. Pintel rushed over to the cell and quickly unlocked it. "Whot are ye gonna do te me now?! Lemme go!" Ragetti shrieked when he was grabbed by Pintel's muscular arms.

"Shuddup ye great bloody git! It's Pinters!" Pintel whispered harshly. Ragetti stared at him for a minute but soon returned the hug.

"Pinters! I missed ye so much! Why'd ye bring a red coat, though?" Ragetti stared at Shannon suspiciously.

"It ain't no red coat, Rags. It's Shannon from the jail, 'member?" Shannon waved meekly at Ragetti, who stared at her unknowingly.

"Who now?" Ragetti asked his voice thick with confusion. Pintel whacked him in the back of his head.

"'Lady Shannon Beckett o' England', 'member? Honestly, Rags, ye can be thicker then th' hull o' the Pearl." Something finally clicked inside Ragetti's head and he tackled Shannon with a hug.

"Ye came te save me? Poppet, thank ye so much!!! I was 'fraid I was gonna die alone in 'ere." Shannon stared at him in horror. She didn't think someone as childish and innocent as Ragetti would have such morbid thoughts.

"Yeah we came te save ye, ye one-eyed salamander. Though Poppet wanted te stay in th' cell wit me a bit longer…" Pintel added with a sly grin, while remaining in Ragetti's blind spot. Ragetti looked to Shannon, shocked and a bit hurt.

"Faradiddles!" Shannon accused.

"Whotever ye say, poppet. Now, did ye bring extra clothe fer Rags 'ere?" Pintel motioned to the pirate who was now obediently at his side. Shannon opened her brown leather bag to see that the extra uniform was missing and replaced with her dress. She glared at Pintel. "Forgot I did that…"

"Seriously, what the hell were you thinking?! Now the plan is completely ruined and Ragetti will just have to stay locked up until your scheduled hanging and then you have the privilege of seeing him walk to the gallows and know it was ALL YOUR BLOODY FAULT!!!" Pintel looked ashamed of himself.

"Did I at least pack th' corset?" Pintel asked meekly. Shannon nodded having her head in her hands. Pintel smiled.

"Then that's all we need." He looked to Ragetti.

--

"I really didn't think this would work." Shannon commented, half-amazed. Pintel smiled smugly.

"I told ye poppet. Ne'er underestimate me talents." Shannon nodded while still taking in the sight before her. Ragetti was all dolled up in Shannon's forgotten dress and corset. If he kept his head down, anyone would easily mistake him for an upper-class woman. He smiled.

"Lookit me, Pinters! I look like a regular Incognita!" To prove his point, Ragetti puffed out the dress and swished his hips a bit. Pintel laughed.

"Ye sure do, Rags. I'd give up more then two gold pieces te be with ye fer the night." Pintel continued to chuckle. Shannon also giggled.

The next thing they had to do would be considerably easy. They had waited until all the guards had gone home for the night and they were going to slip out of the prison to the docks which weren't very far away. They would then commander a boat and sail to Tortuga where Pintel and Ragetti would definitely be safe. Shannon smiled as she looked out the window.

"Let's go."

* * *

**Pirate Hatter: Pintel and Ragetti reunited at last! More cross dressing but at least we all know Ragetti doesn't have a problem with that. Oh! Translation for the pirate slang:**

**Faradiddles: Lies**

**Incognita: Upper-class whore**


	14. Chapter 13

They snuck out of the jail and into the darkness of Port Royal. The town was sleeping, save for a few partiers that wandered the streets. From time to time, Pintel would have to clamp his hand over Ragetti's mouth to keep him from giggling.

"Sorry, Pinters. This is jist so fun!" Ragetti whispered breathlessly. Suddenly, a large man appeared from the alley and stood in front of the gang, specifically Ragetti.

"Hey there, princess. Wha's a pretty girlie like you doin' wit the lobsters?" The man slurred drunkenly. He ran his hand down Ragetti's cheek, making Ragetti gulp nervously and back into the 'guards'. Shannon stepped forward.

"Sir, this woman is under our protection for the night. You'll not be laying a hand on any part of her." Shannon stated firmly. This man had not taken much rejection in his life (to his recollection anyway) and would not put this black mark on his record.

"Beat it, buddy. She's right purdy an' she's gonna be a good girl and come wit me." The man grabbed Ragetti wrist and started to pull him along to a hotel. Ragetti writhed in his iron grip, screaming a bit.

"Leggo, ye filthy maggot!" Ragetti yelled. The man chuckled darkly.

"Tha's s'okay babay. I like the naughty talkin'." The man continued to pull Ragetti along. Pintel finally snapped out of his shocked state and stepped forward, growling deep in his chest.

"Give 'im back, ye drunkard! He's mine!" Pintel launched himself onto the man, taking him to the ground. He still would not let go of Ragetti, however, and brought him down into the dog-pile.

Pintel was releasing the very definition of hell on the man. He slammed Ragetti's would-be rapist's head into the ground and punched him senseless. The drunk's motor skills were completely shot at this point; he couldn't make a punch if he tried. At the end of the brawl, he was a little more than a bloody mess on the ground. Pintel stood up, grabbed Ragetti, and spat on his victim as the trio walked away.

Ragetti was beside himself, sniffling a bit. Pintel looked up to him and saw a deep scar on his cheek and a bit of blood dribbling out of his mouth.

"Rags!" Pintel gasped. He immediately tried to wipe away the blood but Ragetti recoiled from his touch.

"Ye hit me…" Ragetti whimpered. He sniffled again as tears welled up in his eyes. Pintel gapped at him, shocked speechless.

"Rags… I didn't… I wouldn't ever… no…" Pintel strung these words into a loose sentence with desperation in his voice. Shannon stared at the both of them, worried.

"Ye did. It 'urts, too." Ragetti looked dejected and shifted his gaze to Pintel's face. Tears fell silently, stinging the fresh wound on his face. Pintel grabbed Ragetti softly and brought him into a gentle hug.

"Rags, I love ye too much te ever hurt ye. If I did, 'm sorry." Pintel whispered softly. Ragetti didn't return the hug, he only accepted it. He nodded in response. Pintel let go of Ragetti and nodded to Shannon.

"So… this is going to be fun." Shannon commented.

--

"'M jist sayin' it's a purdy dress is all!"

"Ye were eyeballin' 'er, ye bastard! Ye don' think 'm purdy no more!"

"Rags!"

This fight started about five minutes ago when a woman rode by in carriage. She wore a dull burgundy dress that left very little to the imagination as far as cleavage went. Pintel made a comment more about the dress than the cleavage but Ragetti took it the wrong way. Shannon tuned them out about two minutes into the fight.

"I only saw the dress, I swear."

"Oh _right_, like yer gonna pretend ye didn't see all that cleavage! If ye want 'er so bad ye can jist take 'er seein' as yer free NOW!" Ragetti yelled. He marched off ahead of Pintel who was growling angrily. He glared at Shannon who suddenly became very fascinated by a bug near her shoe. Pintel huffed and went to chase after Ragetti.

"I swear, if it's possible fer a man te get a monthly, Ragetti is PMSing so hard right now." Pintel muttered under his breath.

Shannon hung back and watched the muted fight carry out. She could barely make out the words but caught a few as 'bird o' paradise' and 'bastard'. Those were pretty common ones.

Suddenly, in the middle of Ragetti's ranting, Pintel grabbed him by the shoulders and kissed him squarely on the lips. Ragetti froze for a minute but soon was kissing him back.

The snog stopped and Pintel spoke softly to Ragetti as he stayed close to him. Shannon could barely see it, but there was a definite smile on Ragetti's face. He nodded and kissed Pintel again. They started to walk off together.

Shannon smiled but realized that she needed to catch up with them. She had to sprint as fast as she could but eventually caught up, out of breath and glistening with sweat.

"Okay there, poppet?" Pintel asked with a chuckle. Shannon nodded in annoyance as she continued to breathe deeply. Ragetti smiled and clung onto Pintel's shoulders as they made their way to the docks to commandeer a boat.

--

The threesome crept quietly along the planks of the docks. The sand crunched under their feet no matter how softly they stepped. Shannon's breathing became ragged and uneven. She had never been so nervous. Pintel had spotted a nice Bermuda rig they could 'salvage'. They stalked along the piers as silently as they could, making sure the only noises that night would be those damn crickets in the bushes.

"Poppet," Pintel breathed heavily, "untie the docking rope while Rags and me get th' masts ready." Shannon nodded in reply and began to decipher the terribly complicated knot some sailor had prided himself in. Her nimble fingers started to check for lose spots where she could untie it, but this was one sound knot.

"Bugger fuckin'…" Shannon cursed under her breath. She had never been on a boat or ship before this trip to Port Royal and she kicked herself for not learning anything about these things.

The rig lurched suddenly and knocked Shannon off balance. Her delicate cheek slammed into the dock tie. She bit back a shriek of pain as she tasted the salty flavor of blood leaking forth. The cheek itself had already turned bright red and began to swell. Ragetti came over to see what was taking her so long.

"Shannon! Yer bleedin'! 'Ere, I'll untie the rope. Ye can go sit down." Ragetti helped her off her knees and over to a seat. She nodded slightly as tears threatened to escape her eyes. Shannon sniffled them away and shook her head.

"Ye know, poppet," Pintel began, a smirk crawling onto his face, "pirates don' cry 'bout bumps nor bruises." Shannon's head shot up and stared at him straight in the face.

"I should think not. Load of thieves would not cry about such petty things. I, however, am not a pirate, therefore I have the privilege to actually have emotion once in a while; but I guess you wouldn't understand that sort of thing." She scoffed. Pintel's smirk only broadened.

"Ye got the wrong idea, luv. Ye _are_ a pirate. Ye freed two convicted men from jail, stole a marine's uniform, _impersonated_ said marine, and socked a pirate straight in the gut out of a temper. Yer a pirate, poppet."

"…I know you are but what am I?" Shannon sneered and threw in a stuck out tongue for good measure. She heard Ragetti laugh in the background.

* * *

**Pirate Hatter: This chapter was written with no prior knowledge about ships/boats. Here is everything I know: Starboard, Port, Bow, and Stern… And I thank God for Wikipedia. But I like this chapter because of the angst and the love. For anyone who cares, the drunk guy's name is Jeremy Wakefield.**


	15. Chapter 14

Shannon had fallen asleep with a bucket half-over her head and lying against the stern. Ragetti took himself to be the navigator and Pintel managed the mast. They talked at a normal volume (Shannon was an extremely deep sleeper) and discussed where they were going.

"Well… Tortuga'd be the best bet. Pretty safe there and easy te blend in wit," Pintel suggested while staring into the night sky. Ragetti agreed.

"Then we can find a crew te join an' we'll be off!" Ragetti chirped cheerfully. He continued his lop-sided grin until Shannon stirred a bit and clung onto his leg. She drifted back to sleep, bucket still on her head. "Oh… forgot 'bout Shannon. Whot're we gonna do 'bout her?"

"She'll wake up and we'll commandeer a boat fer her or somethin'. She can sail back te jolly ole England and we can join a crew. Everybody wins, Rags," Pintel explained for his dim-witted friend. Ragetti wasn't convinced.

"Whot about Beckett? He'll be wantin' te know why two pirates an' 'is cousin are gone, won't 'e?" Ragetti looked sympathetically to the slumbering girl attached to his right leg. Pintel sighed.

"Poppet can figure that one out. She's a bright lass, she is," Pintel reassured the other pirate. Truth be told, Ragetti was a bit too compassionate to be a pirate: he was more like a good kid hanging out with the wrong crowd and trying to fit it.

"Awright… if ye say so, Pinters. But it don' seem quite right te me. She 'elped us escape from jail an' we're jist gonna leave 'er te fend fer 'erself?"

"She'll be fine, Rags. She's a Lady in th' Court of the King of England. Don't ye wor- 'ey!" Pintel was attacked by a pink, slobbery tongue. Keys the dog had followed them to the Bermuda rig and snuck onboard. Ragetti laughed.

"Keys! Lookit that, Pinters! 'E followed us!" Ragetti laughed harder at Pintel's attempt to pull Keys off of him (but failed of course). Shannon continued to sleep soundly.

"Bloody mutt- Git offa me!" Pintel growled at the dog. Keys retreated to the stern on the boat and rested against Ragetti's unoccupied leg. Ragetti smiled contently.

"Yer so unfriendly, Pinters," Ragetti giggled.

-- 

Night flew by as a stormy petrel on the tropic seas. Everyone got a bit of rest under the star sky as Pintel and Ragetti took turns navigating. Ragetti fell asleep on him watch however and didn't notice when their small rig came within shouting distance of an unmarked island. The rig crashed erratically onto the shore and slammed everyone into each other.

"Oy! Whoever is grabbin' my arse will be losin' their hand in two seconds!" Shannon growled. Whoever did have that 'privilege' removed said hand before their two seconds were up.

The group finally became untangled and docked the boat on the white sand beach of the island. Pintel looked around the barren landscape. There was somewhat of a forest to provide shade, wood, and perhaps food.

"This ain't Tortuga," Ragetti remarked. Pintel rewarded this discovery with yet another smack upside the head.

"Well, I think it'll be good to be off the boat for a while. You know, stretch our legs and everything?" Shannon suggested cheerfully. Ragetti nodded but went back to the rig and dug around for a while. He then produced his clothes and a bucket. Ragetti quickly changed into his clothes, minus the two shirts he normally wore. "What's with the bucket?"

"… **This**!" Ragetti yelled while throwing a bucket-full of cold sea water at Shannon. She was completely drenched. Pintel was laughing his head off.

Shannon resorted to her proper and mature self and promptly kicked sand at Ragetti. He laughed and shook off the sand that loosely clung to him. Pintel continued to watch the spectacle before him play out.

--

The fight lasted an impressive five to six minutes, ending when Shannon held Ragetti's head underwater long enough for his wooden eye to pop out. Pintel had already built a fire and campsite when they actually found the eye again. Ragetti fell down on the sand next to the fire, still coughing up sea water and snuggled against Pintel for warmth.

"You two okay there? Pretty nasty fight, ye got inte," Pintel chuckled and poked the fire. Shannon laughed and stared at the two pirates.

"I can't believe I actually rescued you two. Amazing," She sighed contently.

"_Saved_ us? Poppet, all ye did was move our plan along a little bit," Pintel scoffed indignantly.

"Huh. So… you two are pretty much married, aren't yeh?" Shannon smirked. The two pirates immediately straightened up, extremely surprised she figured that out. "Oh please, you're surprised? You two are practically joined at the hip, you obsess about each other constantly, and Pintel was actually _crying_ when he told you were taken to the other prison. If that's not married than I'm not sure what is,"

Ragetti regarded Pintel with a watery blue eye and a wooden one facing the opposite direction.

"Ye were really cryin', Pinters?" Ragetti looked to be on the verge of one giant bear hug. Pintel was extremely nervous.

"…Aye?" It took one word for Ragetti to completely lose control and tackle the older pirate to the ground, screaming with happiness. Pintel growled and glared at Shannon with half his face being buried in the sand.

"Marr-ied" Shannon taunted in a sing-song voice, ecstatic that she could make someone hate her like this. She probably needed to see someone about that.


End file.
